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Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice
The young adult adaptation of the acclaimed, #1
New York Times
bestseller
Just Mercy
--soon to be a major motion picture starring Michael B. Jordan, Jaime Foxx, and Brie Larson and now the subject of an HBO documentary feature!
In this very personal work--adapted from the original #1 bestseller, which the New York Times calls "as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so"--acclaimed lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson offers a glimpse into the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned and his efforts to fight for their freedom.
Stevenson's story is one of working to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society--the poor, the wrongly convicted, and those whose lives have been marked by discrimination and marginalization. Through this adaptation, young people of today will find themselves called to action and compassion in the pursuit of justice.
Proceeds of this book will go to charity to help in Stevenson's important work to benefit the voiceless and the vulnerable as they attempt to navigate the broken U.S. justice system.
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE
FEATURED ON CBS THIS MORNING
A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
PRAISE FOR JUST MERCY: A TRUE STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
"It's really exciting that young people are getting a version tailored for them." --Salon
"A deeply moving collage of true stories. . . . This is required reading." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Compassionate and compelling, Stevenson's narrative is also unforgettable." --Booklist, starred review
PRAISE FOR JUST MERCY: A STORY OF JUSTICE AND REDEMPTION
"Gripping. . . . What hangs in the balance is nothing less than the soul of a great nation." --DESMOND TUTU, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
"Important and compelling." --Pulitzer Prize-winning author TRACY KIDDER
"Inspiring and powerful." --#1 New York Times bestselling author JOHN GRISHAM
In this very personal work--adapted from the original #1 bestseller, which the New York Times calls "as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so"--acclaimed lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson offers a glimpse into the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned and his efforts to fight for their freedom.
Stevenson's story is one of working to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society--the poor, the wrongly convicted, and those whose lives have been marked by discrimination and marginalization. Through this adaptation, young people of today will find themselves called to action and compassion in the pursuit of justice.
Proceeds of this book will go to charity to help in Stevenson's important work to benefit the voiceless and the vulnerable as they attempt to navigate the broken U.S. justice system.
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE
FEATURED ON CBS THIS MORNING
A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
PRAISE FOR JUST MERCY: A TRUE STORY OF THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
"It's really exciting that young people are getting a version tailored for them." --Salon
"A deeply moving collage of true stories. . . . This is required reading." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Compassionate and compelling, Stevenson's narrative is also unforgettable." --Booklist, starred review
PRAISE FOR JUST MERCY: A STORY OF JUSTICE AND REDEMPTION
"Gripping. . . . What hangs in the balance is nothing less than the soul of a great nation." --DESMOND TUTU, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
"Important and compelling." --Pulitzer Prize-winning author TRACY KIDDER
"Inspiring and powerful." --#1 New York Times bestselling author JOHN GRISHAM
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 18, 2018
931 people are currently reading
4072 people want to read
About the author
Bryan Stevenson
34 books3,025 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Bryan Stevenson is the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, and a professor of law at New York University Law School. He has won relief for dozens of condemned prisoners, argued five times before the Supreme Court, and won national acclaim for his work challenging bias against the poor and people of color. He has received numerous awards, including the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant.
Bryan Stevenson is the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, and a professor of law at New York University Law School. He has won relief for dozens of condemned prisoners, argued five times before the Supreme Court, and won national acclaim for his work challenging bias against the poor and people of color. He has received numerous awards, including the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Grant.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,052 reviews
March 11, 2021
This was a great book. 👍 It sheds necessary light on parts of our inadequate justice (or rather injustice) system. Told in memoir style, this follows a lawyer through some of his cases and personal experiences. I wanted to read it before watching the movie. 😉
May 17, 2019
A perfect choice for a One School, One Book read or a "community read." I'd prefer, "One country, one read." The adult version is a life-changer, and I read this one and the adult version at the same time, reading a chapter at a time from each book so that I essentially got the story twice in 2 days. Here's how they compare:
--This version is much more concise; details were omitted, vocabulary sometimes changed (i.e. anomaly --> mystery), some sections rearranged, and longer sentences sometimes shortened in helpful ways. The vocabulary is still challenging--the changes in vocab are few and always are a good choice.
--Omissions include insignificant details and conversations, some historical background information to explain the evolution of a relevant issue, extra examples that make the same point, the gruesome details of the "botched execution" of Evans (although it's mentioned so that readers can do their own research if they're curious), extra background details on each of the cases represented (although enough is provided), the whole section on his trip to Sweden, references to To Kill a Mockingbird or any famous people that our students may not recognize, and all swearing and every instance of the N-word. It doesn't even indicate that in the original version or conversation any inappropriate language was used at all.
Sometimes I felt like the YA version wasn't as impactful, like in some of the cases, the missing details contributed to less connection to the person he is representing and therefore would make the reader feel less on his or her side, but this isn't always the case. I preferred the more detailed, adult version, obviously, and I think that Juniors and Seniors in HS will, too. Sometimes, the background stories were incredibly interesting and powerful, and I was saddened that they were omitted, such as the example of the boy who was executed for murdering two white girls in the 1930's. That story made me cry on the couch with actual sobs, but it was not included in the YA version. The author did NOT avoid dealing with difficult topics such as rape in prisons and sexual abuse all the time. I think readers of this version will still be powerfully moved, disturbed, angry, hopeful, and motivated to change and help make change. I implore English teachers, Social Studies Teachers, and librarians to encourage our youth to read this book, as it may be the most important book they will EVER read.
--This version is much more concise; details were omitted, vocabulary sometimes changed (i.e. anomaly --> mystery), some sections rearranged, and longer sentences sometimes shortened in helpful ways. The vocabulary is still challenging--the changes in vocab are few and always are a good choice.
--Omissions include insignificant details and conversations, some historical background information to explain the evolution of a relevant issue, extra examples that make the same point, the gruesome details of the "botched execution" of Evans (although it's mentioned so that readers can do their own research if they're curious), extra background details on each of the cases represented (although enough is provided), the whole section on his trip to Sweden, references to To Kill a Mockingbird or any famous people that our students may not recognize, and all swearing and every instance of the N-word. It doesn't even indicate that in the original version or conversation any inappropriate language was used at all.
Sometimes I felt like the YA version wasn't as impactful, like in some of the cases, the missing details contributed to less connection to the person he is representing and therefore would make the reader feel less on his or her side, but this isn't always the case. I preferred the more detailed, adult version, obviously, and I think that Juniors and Seniors in HS will, too. Sometimes, the background stories were incredibly interesting and powerful, and I was saddened that they were omitted, such as the example of the boy who was executed for murdering two white girls in the 1930's. That story made me cry on the couch with actual sobs, but it was not included in the YA version. The author did NOT avoid dealing with difficult topics such as rape in prisons and sexual abuse all the time. I think readers of this version will still be powerfully moved, disturbed, angry, hopeful, and motivated to change and help make change. I implore English teachers, Social Studies Teachers, and librarians to encourage our youth to read this book, as it may be the most important book they will EVER read.
Read
October 2, 2021Read for class. Very well put together and insightful. I just don’t rate memoirs/nonfiction, but it was great.
September 19, 2018
Should be mandatory reading. Pair with Dead Man Walking. And We’ll Fly Away for a fiction pairing.
Author read the audio.
Excellent, but still made me sick about how we treat people in this country.
Author read the audio.
Excellent, but still made me sick about how we treat people in this country.
March 11, 2021
This was chosen as our staff book club read for the spring of 2021 and had been on the shelves of my middle school building for at least a year prior to that. I had seen the movie adaptation of the story, so I had a pretty good sense of what would "happen" but I was very interested in seeing how the book unfolded. I had one teacher who came up to me to tell me she couldn't quit reading until she got to the end of the book and how much of an impact it had on her. The story is compelling and the writing is strong. The alternating chapters, focusing on William (the inmate falsely imprisoned on death row) and the statistics and facts featuring other cases of Stevenson's kept the book moving along quickly. I would highly recommend this as reading for anyone interested in social justice work, legal practices, and racial equality. I would say it is appropriate for grades 7 and up. There is no language, and anything graphic (a violent crime or sexual assault) is laid out in very matter of fact, cut and dried language, without anything feeling "tantalizing" about it.
April 28, 2020
I finally finished another book! Lol. Just Mercy was honestly a really, really great book. I read it for English class and I'm not gonna lie to you- I picked it because there is a movie out and I figured why not read the book before the movie. I expected it to be like any other book I read for class-kinda boring but still good enough to gain my interest. I am almost 100% sure I wouldn't have picked this book up on my own as a free read book but I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. This book brought to my attention the issues about mass incarceration and the death penalty in our country. It made me think about issues that I haven't really ever considered until now and I formed many new opinions that I never had. It really got me thinking about our justice system. Overall, I actually really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone looking to read a nonfiction book about justice in the U.S.
November 15, 2019
PLEASE read this book. It is essential. Our prison system (and also sometimes our judicial and legal systems) is a racist disaster. When I read this book I wanted to punch things and cry and I wonder HOW people can be so cruel. But also I felt hope. And that is a gift.
April 5, 2024
“My work has taught me a vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I am persuaded that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. Finally, I've come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the respected, and the privileged among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.
We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated. An absence of compassion can corrupt the decency of a community, a state, an entire nation. Fear and anger can make us cruel and abusive. We all suffer from the absence of mercy and we harm ourselves as much as we victimize others. The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it's necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and --perhaps- we all need some measure of unmerited grace.” (17-18)
I cried a lot reading this one. Let’s do something that matters and act justly and love mercy and walk humbly.
We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated. An absence of compassion can corrupt the decency of a community, a state, an entire nation. Fear and anger can make us cruel and abusive. We all suffer from the absence of mercy and we harm ourselves as much as we victimize others. The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it's necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and --perhaps- we all need some measure of unmerited grace.” (17-18)
I cried a lot reading this one. Let’s do something that matters and act justly and love mercy and walk humbly.
September 17, 2020
Using the power of personal narrative, Bryan Stevenson recounts his years working as a lawyer for Death Row inmates in the Deep South. He uses the case of Walter McMilllan, a black man wrongfully accused of murder, as a sort of case study by which to study the prejudices and injustices that lurk behind Death Row.
Along with the following the harrowing six-year process to free McMillan, Stevenson also pulls from other experiences to discuss other atrocities within the prison system: individuals convicted to life without parole when they were 13 or 14, female prisoners who were sexually assaulted by prison guards, and inmates with mental illnesses who were denied the proper treatment and rehabilitation (side note: over 50% of prison and jail inmates in the US have a diagnosed mental illness).
While this book has been adapted for young readers, I did not find it boring or simplistic. Stevenson does a fine job of keeping the reader engaged through the powerful narrative while also embedding meaningful truths about the American prison system.
One main theme that Stevenson weaves throughout this narrative is the importance of preventive measures in society. Not to be too political, but I believe there is real potential in investing in social workers, teachers, counselors, and mental health workers. These resources simply aren't available to those who lack funding, and that's the reason the majority of these individuals ended up on Death Row in the first place. Stevenson wonders this himself as he counsels a man about to face his execution:
"I was reflecting on all the trauma and difficulty that had followed this well-meaning man home from Vietnam. I couldn't help but ask myself, Where were these people when he really needed them? Where were all these helpful people when Herbert was three and his mother died? Where were they when he was seven and trying to recover from physical abuse? where were they when he was a young teen struggling with drugs and alcohol? Where were they when he returned from Vietnam traumatized and disabled?
Finally, Stevenson argues for a dramatically just and empathetic society—one that recognizes that "punishing the broken—whether it's by walking away from them or hiding them from sight—only ensures that they remain broken, and that we do, too." He asserts that "the power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. It's when mercy is least expected that it's most powerful—strong enough to break the cycle of victimization and victimhood, retribution and suffering."
May we all extend mercy and love to those who do not deserve it—as it was extended to us.
Along with the following the harrowing six-year process to free McMillan, Stevenson also pulls from other experiences to discuss other atrocities within the prison system: individuals convicted to life without parole when they were 13 or 14, female prisoners who were sexually assaulted by prison guards, and inmates with mental illnesses who were denied the proper treatment and rehabilitation (side note: over 50% of prison and jail inmates in the US have a diagnosed mental illness).
While this book has been adapted for young readers, I did not find it boring or simplistic. Stevenson does a fine job of keeping the reader engaged through the powerful narrative while also embedding meaningful truths about the American prison system.
One main theme that Stevenson weaves throughout this narrative is the importance of preventive measures in society. Not to be too political, but I believe there is real potential in investing in social workers, teachers, counselors, and mental health workers. These resources simply aren't available to those who lack funding, and that's the reason the majority of these individuals ended up on Death Row in the first place. Stevenson wonders this himself as he counsels a man about to face his execution:
"I was reflecting on all the trauma and difficulty that had followed this well-meaning man home from Vietnam. I couldn't help but ask myself, Where were these people when he really needed them? Where were all these helpful people when Herbert was three and his mother died? Where were they when he was seven and trying to recover from physical abuse? where were they when he was a young teen struggling with drugs and alcohol? Where were they when he returned from Vietnam traumatized and disabled?
Finally, Stevenson argues for a dramatically just and empathetic society—one that recognizes that "punishing the broken—whether it's by walking away from them or hiding them from sight—only ensures that they remain broken, and that we do, too." He asserts that "the power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. It's when mercy is least expected that it's most powerful—strong enough to break the cycle of victimization and victimhood, retribution and suffering."
May we all extend mercy and love to those who do not deserve it—as it was extended to us.
August 8, 2021
so all i have to say about this book is..eh. eh. it was alright. the main topic of the story was good, but i found myself skimming over the pages because it took so long just to get to the point. in my opinion, Stevenson explained way too much, about things that were irrelevant to the story. some of the chapters were interesting, when they actually contributed to the topic, but others that were completely irrelevant were just hard to get through. i would skip whole chapters because they really just didn’t matter. there was absolutely no point for it to be there, so why should i read it? the main point of the story, was good and that was really interesting. that was important and it tells something that is important for people to understand, but the other parts that didn’t contribute to the main part were completely beside the point. i give this book a 3/5 because a lot could have been left out. :/
January 5, 2021
"We have been quick to celebrate the achievements of the Civil Rights movement, and slow to recognize the lasting damage of marginalization and subordination done in the Jim Crow Era."
Can we stop making high schoolers read things like Catcher in the Rye and start having them read things like this? This book will make you re-think your stance on capital punishment and mass incarceration. It brings to light the level of outrageous racial injustice still running rampant in our justice system.
Thank God for hard-working lawyers like Bryan Stevenson. We have to fix this if we ever want America to be truly free or great.
Can we stop making high schoolers read things like Catcher in the Rye and start having them read things like this? This book will make you re-think your stance on capital punishment and mass incarceration. It brings to light the level of outrageous racial injustice still running rampant in our justice system.
Thank God for hard-working lawyers like Bryan Stevenson. We have to fix this if we ever want America to be truly free or great.
September 27, 2019
This should be required reading for high school students.
I have had teens tell me they are required to read a nonfiction book over 150 pages and there isn’t much in YA.
Here you go, teachers. Assign this
I have had teens tell me they are required to read a nonfiction book over 150 pages and there isn’t much in YA.
Here you go, teachers. Assign this
December 10, 2019
This book should be required reading for all high school students, if not all Americans.
March 19, 2020
A fantastic adaptation for young adults! The chapters about incarcerated youth are enlightening, shocking, and basically unbearable. This book is equal parts important and inspiring!
May 27, 2019
Interesting (and true) accounts of falsely imprisoned (or imprisoned for longer than "necessary") people in Alabama, written by a lawyer serving near where To Kill a Mockingbird is set. Stevenson (very admirably) devotes his life to helping imprisoned people.
Instead of complaining about "institutional racism" and teaching criminals that they're victims, I wish more emphasis was put on teaching boys who grow up in crime-ridden areas to obey the law, to be honest, and to realize that children deserve to grow up in a home with their mom and their dad. Communities need to teach better values and promote strong traditional families, or the problems of crime and mass incarceration will continue, despite what good people like Stevenson are able to accomplish in helping them.
Though this YA version cut out some details found in the regular book, it also (thankfully) cut out the bad language and racist language.
(Listened on Overdrive)
Instead of complaining about "institutional racism" and teaching criminals that they're victims, I wish more emphasis was put on teaching boys who grow up in crime-ridden areas to obey the law, to be honest, and to realize that children deserve to grow up in a home with their mom and their dad. Communities need to teach better values and promote strong traditional families, or the problems of crime and mass incarceration will continue, despite what good people like Stevenson are able to accomplish in helping them.
Though this YA version cut out some details found in the regular book, it also (thankfully) cut out the bad language and racist language.
(Listened on Overdrive)
October 28, 2019
This book shows how wrong the people in prison and death row are treated. It was really good but sad at the same time. It was also a bit boring to read. Pretty much on every page there was a name of either a person, a prison, a court, or something similar to that, which made it kind of hard to read. There's just way too many names, that it just made it boring to me and made me get lost a lot.
June 14, 2020
Read it to my 13 and 15 year olds. They were angered and saddened but agreed that it was important that they know about inequities in our justice system.
December 5, 2024
SO Emotional, and highlights all the problems of the justice system perfectly!
Read
May 31, 2025ੈ✩‧₊˚ no rating.
i also read this one for my senior english class and i really enjoyed it! i am giving it no rating (as of right now) because we didn’t get to finish it! however, i thought this book was very powerful and shed a light on our criminal justice system. how do we decide who is guilty or innocent, and can people be both? is the death penalty truly a fair or just punishment? what i took away from this book is that we need to learn the circumstances of others before we decide what we think of them and/or punish them for their actions. this definitely made me re-think my current beliefs and how i feel about the system in our country. bryan stevenson’s writing was powerful and informative and i think he really had an impact on all he worked with. i definitely want to pick this up again one day and look forward to watching the movie! :)
i also read this one for my senior english class and i really enjoyed it! i am giving it no rating (as of right now) because we didn’t get to finish it! however, i thought this book was very powerful and shed a light on our criminal justice system. how do we decide who is guilty or innocent, and can people be both? is the death penalty truly a fair or just punishment? what i took away from this book is that we need to learn the circumstances of others before we decide what we think of them and/or punish them for their actions. this definitely made me re-think my current beliefs and how i feel about the system in our country. bryan stevenson’s writing was powerful and informative and i think he really had an impact on all he worked with. i definitely want to pick this up again one day and look forward to watching the movie! :)
April 16, 2025
This book is absolutely incredible!! I loved reading it and would read it again and again. It tells the story of injustice and Bryan Stevenson trying to fight the injustice, he writes it so well, every single word he rights means something, and I really like than. I would recommend to anyone who loved history and fighting for justice!
January 29, 2021
A very hard and emotional read. There's so much I could say, but I don't think I can put everything I'm feeling about this book into words. I'll just say, I'm very thankful for Bryan Stevenson and the work he has done.
Read
April 1, 2021I didn’t realize this was the youth version, so that was disappointing. However, this is a compelling look at stories where the justice system has failed. It is an important reminder that we must be careful when it comes to matters of justice and that there are things that can and should be reformed.
October 5, 2020
Wow, what an incredible book. The work this guy has done in challenging economic and racial inequalities in the legal system is just mind boggling...
March 8, 2023
This was so interesting, and should be a mandatory read for everyone. the trials in the this case are heartbreaking and i love how informative it was while still being understandable.
May 24, 2025
great read
September 16, 2023
We got this book for our kids, but I don't think either one read it (yet). So I did, and that's why it's the YA version. I'm not usually big on YA novels (they seem much more focused on commerce than literature, more of a market than a niche).
Anyway, Stevenson's story is an important one, one well worth reading about (probably the adult version, to be honest) but he's a lawyer, and lamentably, he writes like one. It gets bogged down a lot in this meeting, that meeting, etc. For a YA novel, there's a lot of stuff it's hard to imagine kids caring about or reading through with gusto.
But again, the subject matter is important enough to make it worth the occasional slog. Stevenson dedicated his career to fighting for people on death row, and whether you think the death penalty is useful or not (I vote not, for all the usual reasons--mistakes are made, innocents die, it costs too much, it takes too long, it doesn't deter the next murderer, etc.) it's important to understand the topic more thoroughly than most people do.
Stevenson never gets too much into the moral side of things (in this version) but he clearly wants to save everyone on death row, regardless of guilt, and in particular children who are tried as adults and sentenced to death (or, later, life without parole).
It's admirable, given everyone in that situation had basically zero chance of making the right decisions based not their background and life circumstances, and in most cases, one bad decision (often "hanging with the wrong crowd") gets them into a situation that the state they live in is going to kill them for.
Stevenson, to his immense credit, is not having it. But he's a lawyer, and these things are done legally, (and slowly, and meticulously) so it's not a thrilling ride to read about sometimes. But it's important, and he sticks it out even when it seems hopeless for his cases--he's doing this mainly in Alabama, so it all seems hopeless, because, well, it's Alabama.
An important book, if not a thrilling page-turner. If this topic interests you, and you aren't a kid, I'd suggest the adult version of the book, to get the whole story.
Anyway, Stevenson's story is an important one, one well worth reading about (probably the adult version, to be honest) but he's a lawyer, and lamentably, he writes like one. It gets bogged down a lot in this meeting, that meeting, etc. For a YA novel, there's a lot of stuff it's hard to imagine kids caring about or reading through with gusto.
But again, the subject matter is important enough to make it worth the occasional slog. Stevenson dedicated his career to fighting for people on death row, and whether you think the death penalty is useful or not (I vote not, for all the usual reasons--mistakes are made, innocents die, it costs too much, it takes too long, it doesn't deter the next murderer, etc.) it's important to understand the topic more thoroughly than most people do.
Stevenson never gets too much into the moral side of things (in this version) but he clearly wants to save everyone on death row, regardless of guilt, and in particular children who are tried as adults and sentenced to death (or, later, life without parole).
It's admirable, given everyone in that situation had basically zero chance of making the right decisions based not their background and life circumstances, and in most cases, one bad decision (often "hanging with the wrong crowd") gets them into a situation that the state they live in is going to kill them for.
Stevenson, to his immense credit, is not having it. But he's a lawyer, and these things are done legally, (and slowly, and meticulously) so it's not a thrilling ride to read about sometimes. But it's important, and he sticks it out even when it seems hopeless for his cases--he's doing this mainly in Alabama, so it all seems hopeless, because, well, it's Alabama.
An important book, if not a thrilling page-turner. If this topic interests you, and you aren't a kid, I'd suggest the adult version of the book, to get the whole story.
May 27, 2025
So incredibly inspiring and I cannot wait to have my students interact with this text. There is so much value in nonfiction in the English classroom. It was paced wonderfully, the vignettes throughout were so incredibly engaging. Walter's story was incredibly engaging.
An incredibly inspiring, optimistic, but still realistic story.
An incredibly inspiring, optimistic, but still realistic story.
January 24, 2020
Wow. If I had to pick a mandatory read, this would certainly be a contender.
September 4, 2020
I missed watching the movie because of the stress of the pandemic combined with teaching but I still wanted to learn more so I bought the book.
Wow! It truly opened my eyes. I knew there were problems with the judicial system (I have many family members who are in the police or part of the prison system.) I knew that the prison system is not racially balanced but I hadn't realized how badly.
There were so many things I wanted to highlight and so much I had to ponder. Now I'm not sure I want to see the movie. I don't know that the movie could do the book justice.
Wow! It truly opened my eyes. I knew there were problems with the judicial system (I have many family members who are in the police or part of the prison system.) I knew that the prison system is not racially balanced but I hadn't realized how badly.
There were so many things I wanted to highlight and so much I had to ponder. Now I'm not sure I want to see the movie. I don't know that the movie could do the book justice.
July 3, 2020
Absolutely heartbreaking. The stories told brought me to physical tears. I’m so grateful there are people like Bryan Stevenson out there, making these issues known and fighting for criminal justice reform. I’m glad we’re taking steps as a country and states, but there is still more to do. I think this is a very accessible book for teens-the language and sentence structure is straight-forward. There are some beautiful sentiments at the end on what it means to be human.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,052 reviews